


Black Ambrosia

by jxkuzure



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Explicit Sexual Content, Genderfluid Character, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Coercion, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-25 15:42:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4966723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jxkuzure/pseuds/jxkuzure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>{ Hannibal | Greek Mythology AU | 'Persephone & Hades' | }<br/>Cast: Hannibal Lecter (Hades), Will Graham (Persephone), Alana Bloom (Demeter), Bedelia Du Maurier (Hera), Fredrick Chilton (Zeus), Matthew Brown (Hermes), Bella Crawford (Aphrodite), Freddie Lounds (Hecate)</p><p>Persephone, snatched from the vibrant world above, plunges into the Underworld where Hades kept his prisoner. In this case, Will Graham being held as a prisoner to Hannibal Lecter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> { This story is going to be in two 1/2 parts and I'll update the other parts when they're ready. }  
> Also from the original story, I know Persephone is female but, in this case, I made Persephone (Will Graham) gender-fluid for the sake of the story. I myself identify as nonbinary and found it easier to write with gender-neutral pronouns instead. Therefore Will will refer to himself as gender-neutral within the story. Please be advised.
> 
> Tags: Non Consensual Sex, Attempted Assault, Unhealthy Relationships, Kidnapping/Abduction, Coercion.  
> If any of the following makes you uncomfortable, please do not read this. Thank you.

"Black Ambrosia"  
Greek Mythology | Hannibal AU  
Jxkuzure  
  
I

 

* * *

 

 

 

Spring meant the cycle of life renewed once again from the cold grasp of winter. Fresh wildflowers bloomed in hues of pinks, reds, and oranges while the forests and streams flourished with wildlife. Yet no amount of wildflowers made Persephone truly felt like blooming.

Persephone, formally called by their mortal name of _William_ , spent every cycle of spring idly watching mortal men and women toil to their fields. At one time they had been amazed by how much mortals would sacrifice just to keep their families alive. William had been born into godhood and couldn’t comprehend what it meant to be mortal, so they watched every spring and learned more and more about mortals.

They were resilient creatures even by the Pantheon’s standards. Prometheus and Epimetheus were brave to give the mortals the gift of flame let alone even believe mortals had the willpower to wield such a gift. William prayed that such gifts won’t become of the events that would unravel mortals to their most disgusting traits. _Yet it’d been too late for that_. Mortals killed, pillaged, and strangled their own world and honestly, William found it almost vulgar. Like mortals who were molded into their creator’s design, the gods were just as flawed.

William knew of their parents’ strifes amongst the nook and crannies of Mount Olympus. He heard every whispered slander, felt every wave of wrath, and witnessed the most cruelest of inner wars. Their father wasn’t too fond of their mother, Demeter, and possibly loathed her the most. Demeter changed her name to Alana once she left Zeus and decided to tend to the mortals as if they were her own. In fact, William believed Alana thought mortals were children who needed a mother’s guidance, but that was only partly true.

William watched as the mortals finished their field work at the sun’s descent. They would be in the field when the sun waked the world once more but for now, they must face the monsters lurking underneath their beds. Wolves weren’t the only predators waiting for a sheep to leave the flock. William couldn’t stay long after the sun set either so they would disguise their self as small bird and perch till the sun kissed the earth once more. Their mother took the same form and found them later on once the moon was high in the sky.

They hardly said anything to each other. They were both drained from keeping a steady eye upon the flock of mortals they tended. Gods hardly ever interfered with mortal affairs unless it was for their own delight but, Demeter and Persephone truly were there for them. They were responsible for replenishing the fresh lands so the mortals could grow life and to keep the land anew for many more generations to come. As long as Demeter and Persephone remained, their flock of mortals would never have to feel the pangs of hunger or watch their children become sticks and bones.

Till the sun broke the dark clouds, William remained at their mother’s side and not once did they bother to utter a single word. They were about to depart when a flourish of color emanated behind them. Even if their godforms resembled mortals in some aspects, the ethereal wings that flourished in vivid pinks, oranges, and greens were undeniable. Spring deities like Alana and William’s wings resembled colorful leaves instead of feathers while other deities like Zeus had wings that were thunder clouds. William looked behind themself and questioned their mother’s course of action.

“Persephone.”, Demeter said, a slight sense of caution in her tone. “Please be careful, sweet orchid. There are monsters that won’t hesitate to rip you into pieces.”

"Mother-"

"Do not question, sweet orchid. Just heed to my words."

William hardly ever heard their mother use their deity name but, agreed to take care of themselves. The fuschia-pink hue of Alana’s wings faded and William was permitted to leave. Their flight was nothing but short because they were perched above one of the many statues dedicated to the village’s guardian, Aphrodite. William only met Aphrodite, formally known as Bella, a few times since their birth and by far she was the most gracious of the deities. A beauty that rivaled even the arrogant Hera, Aphrodite caught every heart of god or mortal. Though not William’s own eye.

William’s eye caught a mortal woman bearing a round belly while a babe was clinged at the breast. The babe suckled softly on their mother’s teat while the mortal woman began her early morning routine. William couldn’t let such a woman bearing a child strain herself so, they shed their immortal disguise and appeared behind the statue. They dressed in a simple cloth garment, softened their features, and grew their hair to an appropriate length of the women of this time. Through observations, William concluded that mortal women felt more comforted when around other women, familiar or not, as mortal men during this time of strife and unrest became vile. They peaked around the corner and saw the woman fill a bucket in the nearby well. William cautiously approached and when the mortal woman didn’t notice their presence, they swiftly relieved the bucket from her hands. She was of course startled and the babe clinging to her breast had stop their suckling and started to sob.

“Please fair lady, let me relieve this burden from your shoulders.”, William politely interjected, taking note of the woman’s sudden uneasiness.

“I did not mean to frighten you, I swear it.”

The woman calmed the babe at her breast and allowed William to reel the bucket from the well. She was a fairly beautiful woman with dusty blonde hair, tanned skin, and eyes that twinkled like dark garnets. William had found such a mortal aesthetically pleasing and could hardly take their eyes off her. They filled one bucket and grabbed another one that was nearby.

“You didn’t have to do that for me, young lady. I could’ve done the task by myself.”, the woman said, her voice sounding like a hollow whistle, strangely nice to hear.

William looked up at the woman and smiled. They filled the second bucket and noticed some more villagers began their routines. They picked both buckets and took a glance at the woman, silently questioning where they should take the buckets. The woman pointed to a house a little bit down the cobbled road and William followed her, taking a small note on the babe resting on her shoulder. The babe was a lighter shade from their mother but the same deep coral-colored eyes bore deep on William’s own. They shuddered and kept toting the buckets.

 

* * *

 

 

The house was fairly average and lacked the luxuries William would’ve been spoiled to at Mount Olympus but, it was suitable for a single mother and her babe. William sat the buckets on the nearest surface and took a breath. Their shoulders ached from the load. It’d been ages since they had to do any serious physical exertion and frankly, William didnt want to do this any time soon.

“Please make yourself at home.”, the woman chimed, putting her babe into their cradle and whisking into the small room on the side.

William heard a few glasses and pots being shuffled around and they took it upon themselves to study more of the mortal’s possessions.  It was hardly anything that would’ve been considered treasures, considering William was brought up on the finest golds and silks, but mortals never seemed to be content with their items, no matter how much or how less they have. What caught William’s eye was a black fruit-shaped item. They approached the small shelf the black item was sitting on and picked it up, running their lithe fingers over the smooth gem.  William had thought the fruit-like gem was going to be hard but instead, it was soft and very much like a fruit.They’d never seen a fruit shaped gem like it and looked around before swiping. William didn’t mean to steal but, their curiosity was going to be the death of them.

They would return the item of course, deities didn’t need to steal when they could easily conjure the item of their choosing, yet such an unique item was suspicious in a mortal’s possession. Before the mortal woman could return, William vanished in nothing but thin air. High above the village, William held black fruit-like gem  and kept rubbing their fingers on it. Perhaps his mother would have an explanation on how could a mortal _obtain such an item…_

 

* * *

 

 

William had spent the remaining daylight hours studying the unique obsidian treasure in their hands. They couldn’t comprehend how such a dark gem could’ve ended up in a quaint village such as this. On closer inspection William noticed little purplish seeds coated the insides.

 _A bizarre little fruit this is_ , William pondered as they sat the fruit in their lap, nothing that a god could farm.

It was true that gods sometimes conjured heavenly bounties that not even mortals could sow. The fountains within Mount Olympus flowed with golden ambrosia while the arbors graced golden apples. But this mysterious, dark-like fruit of a gem couldn’t have been farmed from Mount Olympus or the mortal world. William sat the fruit beside them and watched the same group of children travel towards the stream, their ecstatic chatter bringing warm joy into William’s heart. They decided that the mortal children were more important than some black fruit gem and whisked away to join their afternoon of play…

 

* * *

 

 

Mount Olympus stood as a beacon of strength for the gods that resided inside. The grand parthenon made of starlight and marble bustled with gods and their lesser counterparts while a light blue aurora floated above. Inside did the Pantheon sat on their thrones of gold and squander away at the countless riches that soon bored them.

Though all the other thrones had their glimmer, the greatest one of them all; Zeus’s throne of platinum and stones of lightning, and his throne was the embodiment of power. Not only did Zeus flaunt his godhood through his throne or his riches, he had conquered many a god since the usurping of his father; Kronos.

But now he was battle-stricken and old, his children would constantly pester him on his loathness, even much so his sister-wife, Hera, would mock his laxness. To the advice of his advisors, Zeus lifted himself off his throne and descended down to the mortal realm. It had been centuries since anyone had witnessed King Zeus off his throne. Mount Olympus had faced a terrible lightning storm once Zeus took just a step down. It had scared the lesser gods and even those in the Pantheon themselves. Demeter had been the first to flee Mount Olympus and she wasn’t the last one. One by one did the gods pour out of Olympus at the fear of Zeus’s wrath now that the king had left his throne. The whispered slanders and inner conflicts had dissolved into thin air just like that. For once, the halls of Mount Olympus did not house a voice.

Such a brief period of silence allowed the darkest and most vilest of gods to take their hold upon Mount Olympus. Like winter choked crops in a frozen vice grip, the evil that lurked far below Mount Olympus swallowed it whole. The higher gods had seen this and those who were left watched in silent horror as dark tendrils filled the cracks of crannies of Mount Olympus. Though the other gods in the Pantheon seemed to be glued in their spots, Zeus challenged the black darkness that coated the walls of his throne room in sickly green-black tar.

There was no mistaking on who commanded this vile, disgusting blight on Mount Olympus, in fact, Zeus knew exactly who _it_ was. A shadow manifested off the floor in the shape of a mortal man; silvery hair, cadbury eyes, strong build, and it wielded a onyx-colored pitch fork. The other gods that remained in Zeus’ hall steeled their hearts and joined the god-king at the arrival of the murky dread; Hades, the keeper of the Underworld. His presence had been premeditated by only Zeus.

“—It’s been a long time hasn’t it, my brothers and sisters?”, Hades inquired while glancing over the gods in the darkened throne room. He saw their hatred and disgust and nearly drowned in the euphoria of it all.

He was prepared to be maimed and beaten by the gods in the room but to his own surprise, they remained stalwart. Except for his eldest brother, Zeus, who looked as if he wanted to throw him back into the murky wastes of the Underworld. It’d been ages since he visited the halls of Mount Olympus let alone be reunited with his siblings and their children.  He had only one message for the gods in the throne room, specifically, what he was promised before he was scourged to the lowest pits of the Underworld.

“—I’m here to claim my prize I was promised.”

Zeus furrowed his brows and stalked towards Hades, easily dwarfing his younger brother by a foot, and grabbed the death god’s cloak-like attire. He pulled him close as a streak of lightning flashed through the throne room, expelling the dark tendrils back to their master. The anger burned like hot steel. Hades nearly became intoxicated with his brother’s fury as if it was the smoothest ambrosia in Mount Olympus.  
  
“You will not take Persephone.”, Zeus gritted out. The gods in the throne room voiced their approval as Hades was casted off near the entrance of Zeus’ throne room.

Hades took Zeus’ infringement of their agreement as a threat but, didn’t retaliate against his elder brother. It would’ve been foolish to do so given how out numbered Hades. Instead, he gathered his lesser beings and made his exit. He turned around for a brief moment to cast a wicked smile towards Zeus.

_“I shall get what I was promised.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The forbidden fruit has been devoured and the Keeper of the Underworld appears for what he was promised.

II

 

* * *

 

 

The obsidian fruit-gem still bothered William. They had left it underneath the winding oak near the stream, its crystal-like shell reflecting the sun’s light at daybreak. William returned to their perch and picked up the fruit-gem once more, this time, they were surprised on how the fruit-gem felt. Instead of a smooth, hard gem surface, the outer layer was squishy. What a fruit is suppose to feel like. William sat the fruit-gem in their lap and noticed dark magenta liquid on their fingertips. They had never seen a fruit, even if it was a strange fruit, ooze such a color.  
  
They had seen fruits that bled orange, pink, and sometimes yellow but, never one that spewed such a dark color. William tentatively raised their hands to their mouth and took a small inhale. The smell wasn’t unpleasant, in fact, it smelled sweeter than any wine that Dionysus brewed in his vineyards. William flicked their tongue over pink-stained fingers and at first tasted, it tasted better than anything they had ever ingested. In fact, William had to squeeze the fruit one more time to ooze out its smooth juice.

 _The juice wasn’t enough_. William used both of their hands to rip the fruit open into two fleshy pieces; in the inside was dark black seeds that looked as good as the fruit itself. William took a bite out of one of the pieces in their hands, devouring it all in a few bites, then proceeded to the next one. The other severed side held the seeds in a tight row. William picked one out of the fruit’s husk and as soon as they picked it up, flinged it out of side. The seed had pricked their finger, their blood mixing in with the magenta juice of the fruit. William quickly discarded the fruit once they noticed their wound and tried to mend it was their healing magic but, the cut did not mend. Little ripples of black tendrils crackled under their skin and William panicked as they tried to mend the wound with even stronger magic. It was no use. The blackness only spreaded like a contagion. A work of a foul magic plagued William as they braced theirself against the ancient, stalwart oak. Their attire stained in dark purple while blood and black ooze dribbled down their arm. William felt as if a hot iron was placed on their arm, scorching and making their flesh simmer, and nearly collapsed if it wasn't for the oak at their back.  
  
A cloud of dark mist cloaked overhead and a dreaded sense of depravity washed over William, as if coldness was settling deep within their core. Their heart skipped a beat, their limbs felt like stone, and the undeniable sense that whatever was approaching, posed great danger. From the great dark, brooding mist came a humanoid finger; attire as black as the mist that surrounded it, and magma-filled eyes that burned straight through William’s own. It only stared as the mist subsided but, everything it had touched had began to rot and decay away. The essence of life that pleasantly sang now only mourned and wailed as the figure in black stood in front of William.  
  
“ _Persephone_.”, the figure spoke, voice sounded hollow and somber. “Oh how you’ve grown.”

 **  
**William knew no mortal who truly knew their name. Their throat felt parched and a cold sweat broke on their skin. The figure in black kept its gaze on William for a little longer but, another wave of dark mist graced the landscape once more. It climbed up into the surrounding trees and rendered them scrawny and lifeless. The mist touched one of William’s legs but, it did not suck their life essence or ached. It was a cooling touch like balm on a burn. William made distance between the mist, the humanoid, and everything that decayed around them. The grass under their feet remained blooming and evergreen. Apparently, the mist had no effect on William.  
  
“Who are you?”, William asked, cautious and tentative in their words. “What kind of _monstrosity_ are you?  
  
The humanoid chuckled softly and William braced themself. The black attire was shed to reveal tanned skin, brittled with battle scars, a face that could make the maidens in Mount Olympus quiver, and William theirself take a second glance. Silk curtains of blonde hair draped most of the shoulders and torso of the stranger but, those red-hot eyes did not change. From the corner of their eye, William saw a grotesque, malformed looking steed of some sort, its skin was a dead grey color, body was too scrawny to even carry a child, and a pair of fangs that seemed to abnormal for a beast of burden.  
  
“Hasn’t your mother ever taught you not to insult strangers?”, the stranger chided, petting the beast of burden now at his side.   
  
William couldn’t tear their eyes away from such a monstrous beast and when their guard was lowered, hands that gripped like a octopus held them by the arms. William couldn’t fight such a grip as they thrashed and fought. The beast of burden remained idle till its master brought William, throwing the young deity over the beast. Surprisingly, the beast did not buckle or whine against the weight. William could not get their body to move or fight anymore. As if a black, foul magic seeped into their very core, blighting their will to fight. They turned their face towards the stranger and pleaded silently with their eyes.  
  
“Such a gift Zeus has let me reclaim.”, the stranger said, grabbing his beast of burden’s reigns and pulling the beast along. It snarled and did as its master guided it to do. William couldn’t even muster the strength to even kick their legs let alone scream for assistance. Their heart plummeted hard and the absolute knowing that this was real was devastating. William said a silent prayer before the murky, unknown darkness swept over their vision.  
  
 _A blossomed orchid now withered as the sun bares no light and sickness is sucked into the roots..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of this 2nd part, William's pronouns will change to he/him. Just letting you (readers) know just in case you get confused. I'll see you next update and please do not rush me into updating another part.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone has been snatched. A mother's intuition has never failed her. Demeter turns to the only god she knows who would relieve Persephone of her damnation but, her pleas are turned to deaf ears. Yet not all ears were deaf to her cries.

III

 

* * *

 

 

 

The sudden _gut-wrenching_ , _burning_ sensation in Demeter’s core did not subside when she felt it ravish through her entire entity. Almost instantly she had wept, for reasons unknown, yet the reason did not need to be known. In the halls of Mount Olympus she had sobbed and cried for a feeling of loss was hovering over her. Her elder brother was a monstrous, devil of a god but, to go to the full extent as of snatching her only child, Persephone, was the most heinous of deeds any god or mortal could commit. Demeter tore herself away from her misery and raced back into her brother’s throne room then threw herself at his feet. The elder-god said nothing nor did he acknowledge his grieving sister’s presence. Hera and Hermes sat nearby on their respective seats and even they turned a blind eye to Demeter’s suffering.  
  
“The treachery of Hades knows no bound, my brother! Please I beg of you, I plead of you, do not let that vile serpent of Hesperides defile my only child!”, Demeter sobbed, her eyes pleading with god or demigod still present in Zeus’s throne room.  
  
Zeus remained stalwart and silent but, Hermes simply could not bear to hear the great pain in Demeter’s plea. He stood up from his seat and walked down the marble steps to Demeter, kneeling beside her. His ethereal armor-like wings wrapped around him and Demeter to act like a barrier so that no god could hear what he was going to say.  
  
“Dear Demeter, if Zeus will not heed to your cries, let him be damned to the deepest pits of the Underworld. I shall be your valiant champion if I must but, Demeter, I will rescue Persephone. You have my word.”, Hermes said.   
  
His wings folded back behind his shoulders and he stood up. He looked at Zeus with slight disdain and stood firm in front of the god-king. Demeter only wiped her tears and kept her gaze away from Zeus which in turn, she earned Hera’s infamous scowl.  
  
“Father I beseech you to listen to my resolution. Our beloved Persephone has been snatched by the cruelest of gods within our Pantheon. Please, Father, _use your_ —”, Hermes was caught out by a great strike of lightning that crackled through the throne room.  
  
He was startled by the great intensity the lighting had casted in front of him and fell back. Zeus had stood up from his throne and looked at his son with great anger, such a burning anger that not even Hera could say she wasn't unphased by it. Hell hath no wrath when Zeus started to descend down the stairs of his throne, another lightning bolt being casted in his fist. Hermes shivered and began taking steps back but, his father’s wrath could not be avoided.  
  
“ _How dare you_ —Demand of my attention let alone in my own domain?”, the god-king growed, casting the lightning bolt into a nearby pillar, the marble structure crumbling to a thousand pieces.  
  
Hermes had used his armored wings to shield himself from the debris yet, he could not shield himself from his father’s scolding tone. He quivered when his father loomed over him.  
  
“Hades shall do what he pleases—whether he takes a mortal.”, Zeus glanced over at Demeter. “ _Or a god._ What the foul, treacherous leech of a brother wants, he shall take with the most heinous of ways. I do not care what my brother chooses to do.”  
  
Demeter’s heart had shattered to a thousand pieces when she heard Zeus’s words. The brother she thought that was so gallant and upworthy was nothing more than a liar, a coward, and a fiend to even allow Hades to snatch her only child. A strong surge of malice and spite ran through her core as Demeter stood, turned her gaze away from her brother, and began to walk out the throne room. No one stopped her nor did she expect anyone to. If Hermes was _true_ to his word, then he shall save Persephone from her false conviction and Demeter would get to hold her child again…

* * *

 

Hera sat idly by as Zeus struck fear into his young son, Hermes, but, she too felt a prang of trepidation in her heart. She loathed her brother and her husband more than anything in the immortal and mortal world but, she could not stand his wrath. It was a raw, impending power which Hera had not witnessed since the usurping of their father; Kronos, and only a fraction of that showed when Hades infiltrated Mount Olympus only moments before. For millennia Hera had dealt with Zeus's wrath, his greed, and infamously his _infidelity_.

_How many of his lovers had Hera scorned, maimed, and sentenced to the most cruelest of torture?_

_How many of Zeus's bastard children she had to welcome into her halls because of their father´s shared blood?_

Hera had no ill qualms towards her sister, Demeter, but to snatch Persephone was the greatest of all evils. Stealing a mother´s only child was a crime that could not be purged let alone forgotten in the sands of time. As Zeus finished with Hermes, his son now cowering behind a rush of maidens who seethed Zeus's wrath just by their shrill cries and pleading faces, Hera rose from her throne and excused herself back to her chambers.  
  
Her chambers were a grand, golden room with moonstone floors and jeweled banners of lions, chimera, and even a pegasus. Her bed was a grand product of godly craftsmanship yet most nights, it laid cold and empty. She had not laid in her own bed for nearly a century since she married Zeus, her presence was next to him when night fell upon Mount Olympus. Even now when others laid in his bed, Hera found herself restless and always contemplating. She had drifted away from Zeus though she had never loved him, not as a brother or a husband, she absolutely hated him. She had spent all of her existence at Zeus's side but, never as his companion but, his shackled concubine. He preferred the warmth of lesser goddesses and even mortal women but, not the warmth of Hera, the queen of gods, demigods, and mortals.

_What did she lack that made Zeus search for other companionship?_

She had a beauty that rivaled Aphrodite, intelligence that made Apollo look like a fool, and power than rivaled Zeus´s own.   
  
Hera looked over Mount Olympus from her balcony and watched as the snow-white clouds swirled like sheep’s wool. Her sister’s suffering hung heavy over her conscious and the thought of Hades putting his filthy, disgusting hands on Persephone made Hera shiver. Had she been in the same situation, she would fling herself into the River Styx and drown in black murk. The god-queen had thought of a plan in a brief moment. She told one of her handmaidens to fetch Hermes from the wrath of his father and the winged god came to her chambers.  
  
He was in a somber note, Hera had noticed as he sat on the foot of her bed, and even looked as if he had been weeping. Hera stood in front of him and kneeled down, her hands cupped his cheeks, and she smiled graciously at him. It been ages since she’d smile but, Hermes needed to be comforted before she asked of a great task.

“Little hawk, what troubles you?”, Hera asked, moving her hand up to brush back some of Hermes’s brown curls.  
  
He hesitated for a moment as his eyes could not meet Hera’s own. Hera could feel her step-son shiver under her soft touches and she pressed her nose against his own.  
  
“Please, Queen Hera, do not force me to show you the trauma my father has unleashed upon my flesh.”, he begged, those vibrant, alluring sapphire eyes Hera once thought was captivating now was filled with desolation.  
  
Hera kept rubbing calming circles on one of Hermes’s cheeks and did her best to pacify what ache Hermes was quaked with. He needed to be strong. Strong enough to raise Persephone from his trepidation and back to where he belonged; in a world of vibrant color  
  
“Show me, my brave hawk. Let me mend your father’s abuse.”, Hera asked.  
  
Hermes stood and Hera took a few paces back. A painful sob followed by a bright light illuminated the chambers. Hera gasped as she saw the damage that’d been done; two once beautiful, steel-like wings now were like chipped daggers and slowly losing their light.  
  
“Your Grace, I know of what you intend to do for Demeter’s sake but, I cannot make such a journey to Hades’ domain. Not like this I can not.”, Hermes remorsefully said, folding his severed wings behind his shoulders.  
  
Hera shook her head.  
  
“There are others way to free Persephone from her bondage, Hermes.”  
  
“Your Grace, how can we? I cannot venture into the Underworld without a soul to offer.”  
  
“Let me take care of that, my brave hawk. Go to the mortal world and find me in my beloved, marble city of Argos.”  
  
Hermes nodded and turned on his heels, walking out Hera’s chambers, still caressing his aching wings. The god-queen waited till she had her great chamber doors shut then, called her handmaidens to help her into bed. At last, the calamity that Zeus had doused her for centuries calmed as she readied for slumber. For once, Hera hoped her dear sister, Demeter, was not wrongfully angry at her. She would return Persephone right where he belonged; alongside the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus.  
  
 _He deserved to blossom not be spruned in never-ending darkness..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third part finally completed, I estimate I'll finish this entire work with another 2-3 parts. I added elements of my own creation to this story for more imagery while trying to keep to the original myth of Persephone and Hades. Please bear in mind this story isnt as accurate as the mythical story.
> 
> Persephone's pronouns change from they|them to he|him in order to incorporate Will Graham into the story.
> 
> Also, do not ask when I'm going to publish more parts of this work or more works in the Hannibal fandom.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hera and Hermes devise a place to rescue Persephone from his damnation in the city of Argos. Persephone is trapped in the pits of the Underworld, fighting for his right to recover his freedom, yet a monster far greater than the hellish spirits in the Underworld await from at its peak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, this is the fourth update for this work. I hope everyone who reads this enjoys this work and/or my other works. Have happy holidays and be safe.
> 
> Update as of 12/17/2015:  
> I have a twitter (@ketkoii) if you want to communicate with me so follow me there.

IV

* * *

 

 

The city of Argos in spring was a glorious time for any who visited the city. Wonderful abundances of flowers, food, and dance echoed off the city, calling many to its grand entrance. Hera adored her prized city with such approval that neither man, woman, or child did not feel great happiness in their hearts while living in the city. The marble citadels housed priests while the coliseum rung with great gladiators fighting with valor to their champion god or goddess.

The god-queen had taken the appearance of a great noble lady, her golden hair now adorned with jewels from nations beyond, her silk dress that bore her bosom freely was a fiery red color, and her beauty radiant amongst those who surrounded her. Noble men and men of lesser class nearly whimpered in such raw beauty presented to them, their ladies at their arms only scoffed and looked away in envy. Hera cared little for what mortals glorified her for. Her eyes looked for her brave hawk amongst a thousand faces, some happy to see her, while others seemed to grimace at her presence. It was no lie that creatures of great malice and discontent disguised themselves within the mortal population but, none had the sheer aptitude to challenge a goddess such as Hera. She allowed them to look upon her with envy as she passed through crowds of celebrating citizens, still looking for her valiant hawk.

There above her mortal name of ‘Bedelia’ was called and she looked above. From the balcony of some pearly white building was a young man with dark hair and eyes as blue as Poseidon’s vast seas waved to her. He was dressed in seafoam-colored robes that bore his torso and a good portion of his hip.

 _That was her hawk._  
  
She went into the building where Hermes awaited for her and was quite surprised at the sight; she was in a brothel. Beautiful youth surrounded the posh and lavish center room, some drunk in sexual pleasure, while others lounged and waited for their lovers. None took eye to Hera as she passed through the sex-filled room and up to the floor where her hawk roosted. She went down the hall and saw him leaning against the balcony, his eyes downcasted to the people below. When Hera entered the room, his eyes immediately met hers and he quickly approached her, lowering to his knees, and bowing his head. Hera got him to rise and Hermes smiled graciously at her.  
  
“Your Grace.”, Hermes greeted.  
  
“My valiant hawk, how have you fared since you entered the mortal’s realm?”, Hera asked, finding herself a seat near the balcony. There was table wine and fruits of all sorts on a nearby end table. Hera took it upon herself to pour herself wine while Hermes leaned against the door frame to the open balcony.  
  
“It’s been...Quite a century since I’ve been here, Your Grace. I admit, I’m quite surprised to see Argos in such celebration.”, Hermes replied.  
  
Hera smiled as she took part of the wine but, grimaced at its overwhelmingly sweet-tangy flavor. She discarded the wine back onto the end table and crossed her legs.  
  
“What news of Persephone have you received, Hermes?”

Hermes hesitated for a moment but, the expression on his face let Hera know that he’s empty-handed at the moment.  
  
“It’s quite alright, dear hawk. It’s only been an entire day since our dear Persephone has been snatched.”  
  
Hermes let out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his curls, not knowing whether to feel ashamed, panicked, or even angry at his lack of dedication of finding Persephone.  
  
“My queen, if I may offer some insight to our perils?”  
  
Hera glanced over at the lesser god and raised an eyebrow. Hermes came to her and kneeled at her feet, his eyelashes hooding those perfect turquoise eyes, and his hands up on her knees. She pursed her lips at the physical touch but, did not punish Hermes for his indecent behavior.  
  
“I had an epiphany as I journeyed to Argos. If I were to offer a grand soul to the Lord of Souls, could we enter the Underworld? Even for a short period...I mean if we are to save Persephone, wouldn’t this be the only-”, Hermes started to ramble but was halted when Hera only shifted her legs and stood up. He fell back to his heels and only cowered over her shadow. A boiling pit of anger flourished in Hera’s core but, she did not let her face show it. She simply looked away from her hawk and thought of the situation herself.  
  
 _Could something so outrageously impossible be possible?_

Hera wouldn’t dare kill a mortal, even if her devilish delight enticed her to do so but, what Hermes was suggesting was unfathomable. Yet, her brave hawk was the only one who could guide a soul down to the pits of the Underworld. She chewed her bottom lip and whisked herself to the balcony, watching the crowd diminish into a trickle. Hermes waited for his queen’s response as passersby glanced within the room, opting to see if either Hera or Hermes was available for mortal delight. Hermes dismissed them with the flick of his wrist.  
  
“-Your Grace? Shall I return to Mount Olympus?”  
  
“No, my valiant hawk. I still need some time to think…”, Hera replied, a somber note in her tone.  
Hera felt her heart drop in her chest. She couldn’t fathom what tortures Hades was subjecting Persephone to. They couldn’t wait any longer. If Hermes was true to his epiphany then it shall be done for Persephone's sake. Even if a thousand mortals would have to _perish_ , even if Argos goes up in flames, and even if Mount Olympus crumbles into insanity.  
  
 _If Persephone can be saved_ , Hera would set the world aflame to see him safe and sound once more…

* * *

**  
**  


A swirling purple, cerulean sky crackled with white streaks of lightening while the air threatened to choke him from the inside out. He couldn’t move yet everything felt and seemed real. Persephone looked up from where he was lying and took note of his surroundings; he was in a boat of some kind. He forced his body to rise and caught the glance of the boat’s ferryman. A pale grey figure with black skin, wispy white hair, and a scowl that made Persephone shiver. The ferryman looked absolutely wraith-like and depraved, nothing that Persephone has ever witnessed.  
  
The murky water underneath the boat groaned and lapped up at the boat’s edges as a brief moment of silence washed over. Persephone couldn’t tear his eyes away from the ghostly ferryman.

  
“Who are you? Where are you taking me?”, Persephone asked, his voice cracking and almost turned into a yelp when the ferryman slapped the water with his paddle. The ferryman groaned weakly as the paddle punctured the thick, oil-like water. In the far distance, Persephone could see a flickering light and as the boat approached the shoreline afar, he could see even brighter lights. He wasn’t sure whether that was good or bad omen but, if that meant he could finally get far away from the ferryman, he was happy to see the lights.  
  
The boat finally landed on the dark coal shore and Persephone scrambled out of the boat, his light robes contrasted greatly with such darkness.

He started running. He didn’t know where he was nor did he truly care yet, the ferryman didn’t give chase.

_Perhaps the ferryman was bound to his boat..._

Persephone cared less for the ferryman as he fled for his life. Up the craggy coast he climbed until he reached what looked to be an open clearing. It was barren with nothing more than a winding, decaying willow tree yet, a single light purple fruit Persephone had ingested before hung from a low branch. It glistened and called Persephone closer to it like a siren’s fatal death lament. He approached the willow and plucked the fruit from its vessel, feeling slightly cool liquid trickle between his fingers. He did not want to eat this fruit. Once before when he ate this fruit, he found himself here in this place of howling death, desolation, and utter depravity. Persephone threw the fruit aside and watched it melt into the darkened grass, only a purple pool soaked into the dark grass.  
  
Claws of lightning still raked the sky as Persephone looked across the clearing for any signs of the lights he witnessed while on the boat. That flickering light seemed to disappear behind swirling indigo clouds and Persephone’s hope started to dwindle.  
  
He kneeled down and sat against the willow with his face cupped in his hands. He felt devastated that he had ended up here without a soul to whisk him away from this damnation.

 _Did his mother know that he’d disappeared?_  
  
 _Did she care that he was taken?_  
  
 _Did anyone know?_  
  
Persephone’s thoughts speeded like comets as he tried to wrap his head around the most logical of answers till he was interrupted by a streak of lightning crackling far too close for comfort. Then from the skies above came the dark shroud that Persephone had been swarmed with before and he quickly escaped his reminiscing, on his feet in a matter of a second, and bracing for the peril around him. From the shroud came a horrible, grotesque kind of beast that Persephone had never seen in his life. Yet, it was the same beast that accompanied his captor in the mortal realm.   
  
It was alone but, it’s sheer presence alone made Persephone feel faint. It stared at him with rotting eyes and Persephone couldn’t tear his eyes away from such milky white looking orbs. A sharp sound of bone cracking and flesh tearing brought Persephone to look at the beast’s back in horror as tendril-like appendages had branched from the beast’s back. It groaned it what sounded like pain as one of the tendrils launched itself towards Persephone. He had only seconds to dodge as the tendril wrapped around the willow and yanked it from the ground, swinging it around, till the beast threw it over the clearing edge.

  
He landed on his side and hissed; he wasn’t an expert in combat. The other idle tendril launched itself towards Persephone again and the deity launched himself away from it once more but, he was dangerously close to the edge. The grass under his feet felt wet and grimy as if it too could melt and threaten to let Persephone slip off the edge. The beast grew enraged and sprouted even more appendages and Persephone panicked. His wings sprouted from his back in a flush of magenta and turquoise and he launched himself towards the edge. The tendrils didn’t catch him in time as he made the leap of faith, his wings folded into his back, till he almost touched the murky water.  
  
He was in flight. Something he’d haven’t done in such a long time that he almost forgot he could. Up above he could hear the beast scream in anger as he fled. The lightning that crackled between indigo clouds didn’t phase Persephone as much as they did before when he was on the ground. He felt liberated even if he was trapped in Pandora’s box.  
  
Persephone’s flight didn’t last long because he found another craggy looking island to land, far away from the beast that tried to ensnare him. It was just as gloomy and dead like the rest of this foreign place but, this time it was covered with high obsidian like walls...Like a garrison of some sort. Entering through the great walls of this garrison looked like people with their face distorted into confused torment as their wails sounded like the long calls the great whales of the seas made. Persephone watched as these countless numbers of tormented peoples went into this garrison and he too followed them inside…

It looked to be a citadel in one of the great cities his father championed, Persephone had thought as he witnessed even thousands of more tormented people line up in this grand citadel. A spiraling path reached as far as the eye could see but, the true horror was up above those damned souls. Persephone sprouted his wings again and ascended to the top. Once he was atop the great citadel he nearly screamed in horror at the sight.  
  
A grand monstrous looking demon with a jagged crown who wielded a pitchfork sat high above the citadel in what looked like a floating pool of the same water Persephone saw below. Tentacles of rich purple spilled over the pool and sharp red barbs coated underneath where the suckers would’ve been. Underneath this creature were torture devices that Persephone never fathomed were real; great wooden wheels with giant barbs impaled souls and gutted them like fish, Others were skewered on barbed pools and their anguish cries echoed off the citadel’s great walls.  
  
The black demon turned its attention to Persephone and the deity sprouted his wings and took flight again, only halted by a tentacle that draped itself over the citadel’s many pillars. Persephone tried to avert himself around it but he was caged by another one to his back.  
  
“Who are you to trespass in my court?”, the crowned demon asked, his breath was like a smog that was thicker than the shroud Persephone had breathed in before.  
  
Persephone descended down and up again, the tentacles unlatching from the pillars to finally grab around him, the barbs digging into his flesh, rendering it with scorching pain. Persephone wailed as he was slung down onto the citadel’s marble flooring. The tormented souls fled down the citadel’s walkway, most of them falling off to their imminent demise, while others scrambled away.  
  
“ _How dare you ignore my demand, you little worm_!”, the demon screeched, a large tentacle darting straight for Persephone.  
  
For an instant, Persephone thought he could hear his mother’s voice. Like a sweet, delicate symphony that only in Mount Olympus he heard such beautiful vocals. Yet when he heard his death approaching, he forced his entire entity to rise up and dodged it in a nick of time. He went into flight again but, he darted for a barbed lance, using all his might to free it from the floor below. The demon up above snapped his hideous head around and sent more tentacles after Persephone.  
  
The deity of spring was faster; the barbed lance found its mark in one of the demon’s utility tentacles and the beast screeched in agony. Tentacles went swirling and Persephone had to be cautious not to be knocked down by one of them.  
  
“How dare such a little worm harm the great Thanatos!? _God of the Underworld!?_ ”, Thanatos screamed, driving his pitchfork towards Persephone.  
  
As grand as Thanatos was, he was terribly slow and could be easily angered. Persephone caught the pitchfork, which in his opinion was just as intimidating as a spoon, and held it in his hands. It had a good girth to it but, given Persephone’s godly make, he could easily render it useless. The pitchfork glowed and dispersed into white petals, flowing down to the souls below. Thanatos’ face scrunched up in both anger and confusion as the petals fell but, his tentacles did not cease on trying to ensnare Persephone in their lethal grip.  
  


“I’m sorry but, I can’t allow you to torment these souls any longer.”, Persephone said painfully, looking down at the thousands of souls that screamed and begged for him.

  
Thanatos launched himself from the pool and straight for Persephone, all tentacles exposed, and reared up to deliver his lethal decree. The deity of spring did not falter nor did he flee but, he only gave his hand out to Thanatos. As the proclaimed “god” of the Underworld spiraled closer, he stopped midway to see his tentacles disperse into petals of white and gold. As his tentacles became nothing more than petals, so did Thanatos, and his crowned crashed into the citadel. Now did the jagged crown become unwearable…

  
Persephone smiled weakly and his wings gave out, sending him spiraling down into the bed of petals that was once Thanatos. The souls that were left in the citadel crowded around them with their faces that were once filled with horror, now filled with great anxiety. They muttered in hundreds of dialects not even Persephone could decipher as his vision began to blacken. He no longer cared what harm may be caused to his body or what great perils awaited for him but, if he could, he would save a million souls for the cost of his own.   
  
_Let my body wither like flowers in winter_ , Persephone thought fondly as his rich blood drenched the petals below him, _but I’ll always bloom next spring._

Persephone slipped into the bliss of unconsciousness and the souls finally departed, finding their redemption that they craved even in their death. They left Persephone there amongst a field of death and beauty…

* * *

 

Hades had watched this all take place from far above in his own version of Mount Olympus. He had his own hellish court, his own dark riches, just like what his siblings glorified themselves with. Yet he was not like his siblings; he didn’t take great pleasure in surrounding himself with mortal riches. Hades had grown comfortable with the bleak and gloomy realm he ruled. Here, he could be the king he _deserved_ to be. When he laid his eyes on Persephone, he knew he had to have him, whether he wanted to be with Hades or not. The cursed pomegranate was nothing more but a sealing measure to make sure Persephone would be Hades’.  
  
Now that Thanatos had been slain by a single deity; a lesser god, Hades had even more qualms of making Persephone his own. Thanatos proclaimed himself as the “ _god_ ” of Hades’ Underworld but, to be slain by a god of spring and growth was laughable.

The cerberus next to him in his throne room lifted its three heads as its master rose out of his obsidian throne. A shroud of black blanketed the throne room and Hades made his descent to the mortal world. He wasn’t one for childish mockery but, the display Zeus made of himself still tickled his fancy. Hades would die to see Zeus unravel himself on his mere presence.

 **  
**_And perhaps on his return, Persephone will be willing to become his very own ruler of the Underworld..._ **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this story is different from the actual myth and may include elements that aren't in the original myth. Please bear with me when I say this: I have no idea what I'm writing about. Just remember that in this version, Persephone is considered genderfluid (in order to incorporate Will Graham into the story) and that this is just a spin-off of the actual myth. If you have any questions or concerns, just comment below and I'll answer it.
> 
> Also, a few songs you might enjoy if you listen to it while reading the story. (Well I like the songs so :'/)
> 
> "This Place is Death" - Deftones  
> "Prince" - Deftones
> 
> See you next update.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year's passed since Persephone's abduction and a mother's sorrow turns into vengeful blights. Hermes returns to Mount Olympus not in failure but, with more guidance than ever to raise Persephone from his perdition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone.
> 
> In this following chapter there is mentions of rape so I advise caution towards the end of the chapter. I'm stretching this story out more than I expected and I hope to complete this work in another month or so.
> 
> Thank you for reading.

V

 

 

* * *

Demeter glanced over the withered, ravished fields of what used to be her flock’s subsistence, pleased with her malice handiwork. Entire families became skeletons as their stomachs didn’t even growl in hunger any longer. Cattle roamed fields once bountiful with grasses groaning and moaning their ravenous pain as they too felt Demeter’s grieving wrath.  
  
It’d only been days since her child had been snatched by her vicious brother but, to her it felt like a millenia. Her sole duty as a mother now tarnished by such evil intentions left scars in their wake. Demeter couldn’t fathom what cruel tortures Hades subjected her only child to nor did she want to imagine such.   
  
From this village to the next, Demeter rendered them with nothing more than famine and tears while her heart wallowed deeper into her core. She heard mothers cry for their starving children while others damned all in the Pantheon. It meant little to her that the slipped into the tempting arms of heresy and renounced their faiths. These deeds were a far cry from what Demeter had been plagued with. Her own brother, Zeus, didn’t even bother to relieve her from her trials, as if Persephone didn’t deserve his own salvation. For this betrayal, Demeter vowed to torture the mortals that Zeus thought much more of than her own child. Even to the grand cities across the great Aegean sea did her wrath touch those places, slowly draining them of what little they had left for the harvest season.   
  
_My wrath shall not be tempered by man nor mortal,_ Demeter said to herself as she ventured to next flock of mortals, _because I am the beacon of a mother’s cruel mercy._   
  
As with the mortals before, they too found their crops in poor condition and their cattle rendered too frail and skeleton-like for consumption. Their tears soaked the earth but, not even mortal tears revived their harvests. Until Demeter reached the flowered fields of the island Sicily did she stop her blight. It’d made her calm for a moment as she remembered this used to be Persephone’s most _adored_ part of the mortal world. He would pick bountifuls of flowers not even in Mount Olympus would they flourish so beautifully as they did on Sicily. Yet she did not longer on this gorgeous island in fears that fond memories of Persephone would be tainted by his disappearance.   
  
For another week did Demeter ravage the mortal lands with ruthless pestilence until the heavens above crackled with blue lightning; a sign that Zeus had grown restless with her foulness. Lesser gods poured onto the earth with their pleas for Demeter to stop her evil but, she heard nothing for them. If the death must be stopped then Zeus would make word that he would save _their_ only child from Hades’s foul intentions. She looked upon the tear in the skies where Zeus might be watching her from above and pointed to him.   
  
“—This is your fault, dear husband of mine. Our only child at this very moment is being ravished by the black beast known as our brother yet you do nothing? Do you care for these mortals more than your own kin? I shall kill them all by winter’s solstice if my child is not returned to me!”, Demeter announced, earning the sharp gasps of the lesser gods that went to confront her.   
  
They too fled back into the tear of the sky in fear that Demeter would drain them as dry as the earth they stood upon. Demeter did not wish to cause harm to her godly counterparts but, if Zeus did not take heed to her decree, she was willing to turn against her own kin. The god-king did not meet his sister-wife down on the mortal plane but, the tear in the heavens closed and so did Demeter’s mercy for the mortal kind diminish. For the next year she traveled across the mortal lands and rendered them starving and aching for redemption. Their cries of help and confusion sounded like gilded harps to Demeter’s ears as she finally perched at the very tree her and her son once did so many tides ago. There did she finally weep her sorrows held up inside for the last year. Her heart ached for the child she once held in loving arms but now, ripped from her by a gluttonous, malice beast. She heard not a whisper from Mount Olympus in over a year nor did she care. If Zeus wanted to stop the blight of his favored mortals, he would save his child.   
  
Demeter was so enraptured in her sorrows that she didn’t see the small, fiery red vixen sit underneath where she was perched. It’s viridian green eyes looked upon her in what looked to be empathy but, when does the trickster of all animals feel empathy? Demeter was to shoo the tricky beast away from her but, it did not budge. Instead, it yawned at her and continued to look eastward. This irritated Demeter and she caused the tree to sulk and decay, causing the little vixen to take a few steps back before finally fleeing out the way. The tree crashed into the earth yet the vixen remained nearby.   
  
“What a brave beast you are—trickster.”, Demeter chided the animal, seeing that the fox didn’t flee far away from her. It cocked its head and appeared to be smiling.   
  
“Of course I did not, goddess of spring. I do not flee from a simple tree.”, the vixen replied, licking its chops as it talked.   
  
Of all the wonders Demeter had seen in her lifetime, a talking animal was one of the first. She kept her wits about her as the vixen groomed itself.   
  
“—Oh yes, I know you. Mother of spring, fertility, and endless harvests. You wish to find your child but, he’s been taken by the one you already suspected for ages.”, the vixen spoke again, its eyes now flickering brightly with what looked to be mischief.   
  
Demeter pursed her lips and looked aside as if she didn’t know what the trickster fox was telling her. Of course she knew both of her brothers; Hades and Zeus, were responsible for her son’s abduction but, she was willing to listen to what the beast told her.   
  
“—What of it, trickster?”, Demeter demanded.   


The vixen manifested into a more humanoid figure with fiery red curls, fox-like face, and a slender body. Stark-naked and beautiful as the vixen had become, Demeter kept her suspicion about her. The vixen bowed her head and covered her most intimate regions with her hands.  
  
“You may call me Hecate. Some call me other names but, the mortals call me _Fredricka_ if the name pleases you so.”, Hecate introduced herself.   
  
“What do you know of my child, _Hecate_ ?”, demanded the spring goddess, not caring much for other goddess’s other names.   
  
Hecate smiled and twirled one of her bountiful curls around her fingers.   
  
“—Just as much as you do, my lady. Meet me again when the sun and moon kiss one another and blanket this land dark as night. Then I shall assist you.”, Hecate said with a faint smile plastered across her face.   
  
With that did Hecate shifted back into her vixen form and vanished in a flowing breeze. Demeter did not give chase nor did she think she could catch the trickster. Numerous times had she been promised that someone would be her valiant champion yet, their word fell on devious ends and Demeter was left with empty promises. Hecate may be a trickster in a fox pelt but, if the goddess meant to be her guide to her child, let her be.

 

_She’ll wait for the sun and moon to align if it meant she could finally confront the beast below the mortal earth…_

 

* * *

 

Hermes held his breath as he walked the golden halls to Zeus’s throne room, the scars of what happened before still weighing heavily on his crippled spirit. It’d only been a year since Hermes had came back with Hera to Mount Olympus without Persephone. His failure still threatened to drown him in the sea of Cretes but, the wrath of his father would burn him like hellfire. The grand doors of his father’s court opened on his arrival and high above the delicate, white clouds sat Zeus and Queen Hera. Great harpies vocalized Hermes’ arrival while the court of lesser gods whispered amongst themselves.  
  
He ignored their whispered slanders as he stood in front of his father. Zeus rose off his throne and only glared from his son from afar. Hera took a risky glance at Hermes till Zeus also dismissed her away from him, the god-queen leaving to her own devices. Hermes swallowed hard and waited for his father’s inescapable wrath.   


“—You have not returned with any promise of Persephone, Hermes.”  
  
“Yes, Your Highness. I haven’t been able to locate our dear Persephone as of now. If I am permitted back into the mortal rea—”, Hermes said till he was cut off by a streaking of lightning running by his cheek.   
  
On his pearl skin laid sanguine that dripped lazily down onto his gilded armor yet Hermes only stood in frozen fear. The court hushed their soft whispers as Zeus only glared at his son. No more words needed to be ushered because Hermes took his leave. He’d been maimed by his father once before and didn’t deserve any more abuse.   
  
_He was the golden hawk of Mount Olympus, not some slave to be whipped and tortured..._   
  
“ _Hermes!_ ”, shouted Zeus, his voice like a parade of chariots storming through.   


The young god paid his father no heed until another streak of lightning nearly struck him in two. There did Hermes stop and crumple his fists but, did not dare to strike. He knew better than to challenge his father even more than he was already doing.  
  
“—The Underworld is up to the brim with Demeter’s callous slaying of mortals. You know of this, Hermes.”   
  
The messenger god knew of Demeter’s great sorrows and the blight she casted on mortals far and wide, even those who didn’t worship the Olympian gods. Hermes saw the devastation after he left Argos with Queen Hera yet, he didn’t want to believe that it was _Demeter_ who’d caused so much death. He understood why the spring goddess was lashing out but, didn’t respect her decision to inflict harm to the mortals she was destined to protect.   
  
“Venture into my brother’s perilous domain and save Persephone.”, Zeus demanded, turning to where his court nodded in approval.   
  
A thousand eyes seemed to burn into Hermes back as he unclenched his fists and pacified himself. He was the golden courier of Olympus but, with no wings he was practically useless. He simply couldn’t just hike into the Underworld. It was a ever-changing, mournful domain with rivers of magma and skies of ice and lightning. Hermes only delivered souls to its entrance but, never had he ventured deeper into the ensnaring hell-world.   
  
“―How can I rescue Persephone from his prison if I have no wings? Do you naught remember ripping them off?”, Hermes harshly snarled.   
  
With the slightest wave of his hand, Zeus emitted a soft glow and the entire court gasped in utter surprise. Hermes felt a warm flush against his back and he turned around; a beautiful set of cream-colored wings encased in gold. The courier god felt the wings with his fingers and sighed softly.   
  
“You know what to do, _Hermes_ .”, Zeus uttered, sitting himself back on his throne. The few bolts of lightning that crackled through the court pacified with Zeus' calmed state.   
  
The Olympian needed no further instruction as he paced out of the throne room and onto Mount Olympus great fields. Up above were grand chariots with pegasus in royal blue and cream, gallant in their attire, and welcomed Hermes as he waited for one to land. Royal beasts such as pegasus were the few creatures who could delve into the Underworld without harm. Hermes greeted the first one to land and ran his fingers through its beige colored mane. It neighed softly and its nose nuzzled into Hermes’ shoulder.   
  
The courier god mounted the beast and tugged its reins, ushering it towards the edge of Mount Olympus. Far, far below awaited the gaping mouth of the Underworld yet before that laid the blighted mortal world. If Hermes wanted admission to the further pits of the Underworld, he would need a ticket; a mortal soul of pure malice. As the pegasus dived over the edge of Olympus, Hermes braced himself for the plight to come. His heart quivered halfway down from Mount Olympus as the mortal sphere came into sight. He pulled the pegasus even harder as the landing became turbulent, the pressure of holding onto the great beast straining the strength he had in his arms. Winds shredded past Hermes felt like sharp swords as he tried to keep his pegasus steady.The beast nearly buckled from the force of the entrance into the mortal world as it flew shakily over a decimated village. Then did Hermes release his vice grip on the reins and took a calming breath.   
  
Hermes saw the extent of Demeter’s wrath as he surveyed the damage. He ordered his beast of burden to land nearby and so it did. Men, women, and children laid strewn in blackened fields, their fish-like eyes staring up to the sky for the little mercy Demeter showed them. Hermes covered his mouth as he walked through the ruins of a village that was once vibrant and full of life. Tears swelled in his eyes as he saw the children up close. By the smell of decay and conditions of their bodies, their souls had passed on ages ago. There was nothing for Hermes to harvest as a bargain to the gate keepers of the Underworld.

 

_He had to look farther in the lands plagued with death and a mother’s sorrow for the soul that would grant him into hell and raise Persephone from perdition…_

 

* * *

 

When Persephone woke, he was bound by his hands and feet in an unfamiliar space. Pitch black and the floating smell of death nearly made Persephone vomit the little still left in his stomach. He tried to jostle his bindings but, it was a fruitless attempt. Waves of panic drowned him and he could feel himself already crying. He didn’t like dark spaces let alone to be bound in one. He could only feel something soft on his back and coldness above him. Though he’s woken up on worse terms, this was still startling.  
  
From the right a door’s lock clicked and Persephone immediately braced himself. Listening closely to all the sounds occurring in the room, the spring deity steeled himself for the worse to come. Moments passed yet nothing happened. Persephone sighed shakily as he could no longer tell if anything had entered or left the room. He calmed long enough to steady his uneasy heart.   
  
“—You’re awake. I was quite afraid you wouldn’t.”, a voice like satin purred from the bleak darkness.

Persephone quivered to that voice’s delicate whisper and felt bile rising up to his throat. That _voice_ was the most revolting, grotesque sound he’d ever heard in his lifetime. His throat threatened to allow the bile flood from his mouth and he quickly swallowed it.   
  
“Don’t be like that, _little orchid_ .”, the voice said again but, this time it was closer. “I’ve been wanting you for such a long time.”   
  
The flood gates broke loose. Persephone vomitted to his side and groaned painfully, his throat burned of acid, and his stomach was churning relentlessly. The bed Persephone figured he was on shifted down as someone’s weight felt too close for comfort. He thrashed in his bindings and bitterly cold fingers trailed lazy lines up and down his flesh. He let out a scream but, a hand muffled his mouth. There was weight on top of him now and Persephone couldn’t even try to wiggle free.   
  
_He was ensnared like an insect in a spider’s web._   
  
Tears strolled down his face as he met magma-colored to his own azure. He thought nothing more but of his mother, his poor mother distraught and weeping for his safe return. He had no more strength to fight. If _death_ awaited him, let it take him like a babe from the cradle. If he was to be _abused_ , let it happen so that the evil could be smitten from his body. Searing pain filling his entire core while he only prayed for the ordeal to pass. Persephone had started to think that death would welcome him with open arms.   
  
Those rich red eyes closed for a moment as silver haired hung over Persephone’s face. They looked like delicate white strings of a harp though Persephone couldn’t admire such delicacy in such a wretched state. Tanned skin blanketed by a shroud of darkness that only places where summer kissed the lands more than winter could conjure looked almost obsidian. Another blade cut into his flesh and Persephone kept himself from crying out in the agony. Never had he experienced such malice pain to his body as he looked at what little he could see of his abuser.   
  
As the darkness had blanketed the space, there came a warm red light and Persephone’s sight prospered. There he saw his evil abuser; _Hades_ . He needed no other coaxing to know who his tormenter was. He felt it in his core that the only god, in Olympia or not, capable of such malice was indeed _Hades_ . Yet, he was puzzled on why the hellish god chose to reveal himself.   
  
_Was it guilt_ , Persephone pondered, _or was this just to take what he wanted from me?_   
The spring deity ceased his thoughts and closed his eyes. The pain riddling his body only burned hotter and he had to keep himself from weeping. He didn’t want to show this _devil_ his weakness nor did he want to cry anymore. He was no longer a child, he understood that now.

 _The world wasn’t daisies and there are things worse than weeds to choke a flower dead._   
  
Persephone uttered a silent prayer from his lips as his abuser left him in peace. The red light remained and Persephone was grateful for it. He could finally inspect the damage to his flesh but, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.   
  
“ _I’m so sorry, mother._ ”   
  
He was crying again. For what felt like a millennia he cried till his abuser returned and his ordeal started over again. Again and again did he felt the searing pain of his abuser dominating him till he grew tired of Persephone’s flesh. Then did the red light finally extinguish and so did the spring deity’s hopes of redemption extinguish.   
  
The flower wept its petals to the bleak soil and rotted in the winds of time. No rains revived the delicate plant nor did sunlight shine upon its weakened seed. Forevermore did the flower die and so did the weeds dominate its withered form...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to ask me questions or just communicate with me at all, I have a twitter (@ketkoii) and I'll most likely answer your tweet faster than what I do on AO3.
> 
> I'll see you next update.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to be as accurate with the story's mythology element. Please let me know if I miss any crucial details. See you next update.
> 
> (Edit as of 10/12/2015)  
> Do not ask me when I'm going to update. I'll update when its ready. In the meantime, don't get your hopes up.


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